Controlling blood glucose

You found out in your GCSE Science Biology 1 studies that the blood glucose concentration is controlled to provide cells with a constant supply of energy. You might want to check your understanding of this by looking at the section in Bitesize AQA GCSE Science about Hormones.

The pancreas and insulin

The pancreas [pancreas: large gland located in the abdomen near the stomach which produces digestive enzymes and the hormone insulin ] monitors and controls the concentration of glucose [glucose: a simple sugar made by the body from food, which is used by cells to make energy in respiration ] in the blood. It produces a hormone called insulin [insulin: A hormone that regulates the level of sugar in the blood. It is produced in the Islets of Langerhans, in the Pancreas. ]. Insulin causes glucose to move from the blood into cells. It lowers the blood glucose concentration if has become too high. This can happen after eating a meal that is rich in carbohydrates (for example, sweets, potatoes, bread, rice or pasta).

The animation shows how this works.